Research and Innovation

Welcome

Research is central to the College's mission. The establishment of infrastructures that both sustain individual excellence and promote a vigorous research culture is an integral aspect of the College’s overarching research strategy.

Our research aims to be relevant to the field it relates to, and something that will make a difference to local, national, and international communities. Research is not only crucial in underpinning our academic agendas, it is vital to the economic success and social fabric of society.

Academic staff undertake world-leading or internationally excellent research, providing students with the opportunity to learn from some of the finest thinkers in their field. Across the College, staff are working at the forefront of new discoveries, from pioneering research to develop more effective radiotherapy treatment for thousands of cancer sufferers, to ground-breaking research into climate change and meteorology.

Research Institutes

The LIAT includes academics and researchers from across the Schools of Computer Science, Engineering, and Life Sciences, and the National Centre for Food Manufacturing, who are all cooperatively working to develop new technological solutions for the food and agricultural industries.

Comprising research groups from across all Colleges of the University, as well as staff from all NHS Trusts within Lincolnshire, the LIH provides a platform for internationally excellent, multi-disciplinary research focussed on health issues of national and international importance.

Research Centres

The Centre for Computational Physics encompasses computational and theoretical physics as well as applied mathematics of nano-structured soft matter, solid/soft matter interface, molecular biophysics and biologically inspired systems. The group aims to understand the self-assembly of such systems, their intricate dynamics and complex patterns, which can aid in the design of smart materials of the future.

Pure Mathematics in the School of Mathematics and Physics is focused on Group Theory and Theory of Lie Rings. One of the most important concepts of modern algebra, groups appear throughout mathematics, and as measures of symmetry, groups are used in physics and in materials science. Our research aims to achieve greater commutativity of important classes of groups, and developing novel Lie Rings methods in the study of abstract groups.

L‐CAS specialises in the integration of perception, learning, decision‐making and control capabilities in autonomous systems such as mobile robots and smart devices, together with the application of this research in fields including personal robotics, food and agriculture, security and surveillance, environment monitoring, games and simulation technology, and intelligent transportation.

LCWPH will focus on solving the most pressing global environmental and societal problems emerging from the world’s largest rivers (WLRs). These include climate change impacts on extreme floods and droughts, flood-related contamination from metal mining and processing, water-borne and vector-borne diseases affecting humans and animals, where riverine environments provide the principal habitat.

Specialising in the capture, transmission, processing and understanding of image, video and other high-dimensional data, LoVE focuses on several application areas including: healthcare; scientific; security and environmental monitoring; as well as the design/supply/testing of novel CMOS imagers and systems.

Research Groups

Comprising a unique team of internationally-renowned researchers, work explores the causes, functions and evolution of animal behaviour, and the impact this has on their welfare. Working at the interface between behavioural ecology, animal cognition and animal welfare researchers combine field, laboratory, and modelling techniques, working on a wide range of taxa including plants, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Research in the Cancer and Ageing Research Group follows a multi-disciplinary and highly collaborative approach to increase understanding of disease characteristically associated with ageing at the molecular level, to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Formation of the DMI Group reflects the strategic recruitment of a number of established research-intensive academics with complementary research interests in the areas outlined above. The Group’s vision is to create a strong, dynamic and engaged research culture to carry out research that has the potential for real world impact at a local, national and international level.

The Drug Design and Delivery research groups builds upon expertise from the Schools of Life Sciences and Pharmacy and is reliant on the complementary techniques and facilities available. We have a wide range of expertise focussed on the design and delivery of novel therapeutics.

The Evolution and Ecology group is a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary group whose research encompasses everything from molecules through genes and microbes to ecosystems. We have particular strengths in behavioural and evolutionary ecology, population genetics and palaeoecology.

The Intelligent Systems Research Group Automotive research is focused on intelligent vehicles and automation, and makes use of advanced control techniques applied to crash avoidance technologies. We have a strong collaboration with international universities, including Chalmers University (Sweden) and Tongji University (China) as well as international industrial partnerships.

The Interactive Technologies Lab (intLab) establishes quality of life as its central concern, aiming to promote better living through, and with, technology. We have interests in a variety of fields including human-computer interaction, games, well-being, sustainability, critical design, and fine art.

The Machine Learning Group (MLearn) focuses on designing, developing and studying the algorithms that learn from data. This includes the creation of machines with intelligent behaviour that are able to reason, predict and adapt to changing environments, and assist humans in their activities and interactions.

A multi-disciplinary collaborative group combing two areas of linked interest in Life Sciences. Microbiology looks at answering fundamental questions relating to characterisation, evaluation and testing of microorganisms and viruses, whilst Biotechnology uses a range of research techniques from protein biochemistry and structural techniques, to cell culture and bio-conjugation.Power and Energy Group – School of Engineering

With innovative research expertise, members of the group conduct fundamental and applied R&D across a wide range of market sectors from Automotive and Aerospace engineering, to low carbon airport operation and built environment energy control.Rural Research Group - School of Geography

The Rural Research Group is an inter-disciplinary social science research group with members from each of the University’s 4 colleges. Our aim is to support a collection of academics researching issues relating to rural development from the local to the international scale.